Corner support for a deck pallet



Dec. 17, 1963 J. BAYLUK 3,114,339

CORNER SUPPORT FOR A DECK PALLET Filed Nov. 1, 1962 INVENTOR.

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United States Patent 3,114,339 CORNER SUPPORT FOR A DECK PALLET John Bayluk, 135i) Edgeworth Ave., Cambridge, fihio Filed Nov. 1, 1962, Ser. No. 234,758 4 Claims. (Cl. 1tl853) The present invention relates to pallet stacking means and is more particularly concerned with corner post supports for use with conventional pallets and posts for supporting a plurality of pallets in spaced relationship one above the other.

The principal object of the present invention is to provide economically produceable corner post supports for pallets which can be assembled or disassembled relative to the pallet quickly and readily without requiring special tools or knowledge and which corner post supports permit a plurality of pallets to be mounted one above the other in spaced relationship or detached in a simple and quick manner.

Another and important object of the invention is to provide corner post supports for pallets which can be used with conventional pallets of any width and/or depth and permit the clear loading height between connected pallets to be easily and quickly varied as desired.

A still further and important object of the invention is to provide corner post supports that will not slide or slip off or move in any direction on the pallets once assembled thereto and will hold a stack of pellets without the shifting or leaning of said stack.

Further objects of the invention will be in part obvious and in part pointed out in the folxlowing detailed description of the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective exploded View of a corner post support according to the present invention as mounted on a corner of a pallet.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the corner post support and corner of a pallet as viewed from the side opposite to that shown in FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a top plan view of FIG. 2.

FIG. 4 is a vertical sectional view taken on line 4-4 of FIG. 3.

FIG. 5 is a side elevation of a pair of pallets supported one above the other using the present corner post suports. p And FIG. 6 is a horizontal cross-sectional view taken on line 66 of FIG. 5.

Referring now more particularly to the accompanying drawing wherein like and corresponding parts are designated by similar reference characters, the present corner post support 1 is shown in conjunction with a conventional pallet with which it is to be used. Such pallets or platform skids are used for conveying and storing Patented Dec. 17, 1963 another as shown in FIGS. 5 and 6 and for this purpose the present corner post supports are employed. Said corner post supports are of a unitary metallic construction consisting of a flat back plate 1 approximately the width a deck board of the pallet. A side portion 2 is bent from said back plate extending normal thereto and in turn has an end portion 3 bent normal thereto and thus parallel to said back plate. Side portion 2 is approximately the width of stringer A spacing said back plate from said end portion sufiiciently to receive end B of said stringer therebetween. Also end portion 3 is of a height for fitting in articles or the like thereon and can be conveniently raised and carried by fork lift trucks for example. The pallets generally consist of a pair of parallel opposite end stringers A each having a rectangular cross-sectional configuration and straight ends B normal to the longitudinal sides of which the back C is parallel to the front. A pair of end deck boards D are each fixedly connected'to and extends between the top edges of said end stringers while a series of intermediate deck boards E are similarly aflixed but spaced apart from one another and said end deck boards. Likewise bottom deck boards G are fixedly connected to and extend between said end stringers while being spaced apart in a manner similar to the top deck boards D and E. Thus deck boards D and E are positioned above deck boards G and spaced therefrom the depth of stringers A for receiving the forks (not shown) of trucks therebetween for the purpose of raising and conveying the pallets.

It is at times desirable to mount a pallet spaced above the space between end deck boards D and G. The bottom edges of said back plate 1, side portion 2 and end portion 3 are straight and contiguous.

Said back plate has an intermediate straight side arm 4 bent therefrom and extending normal thereto and thus parallel to side portion 3, but spaced therefrom approximately the width of deck board D. Said side arm 4 extends from an intermediate section of said back plate and is of less width than the depth of deck board D.

A straight flange 6 is bent from and extends normal to and alongside said side arm 4- and has an end finger 7 bent from an end thereof extending normal thereto and thus parallel to back plate 1. The combined thickness of side arm 4 and width of flange 6 approximately equals the space between deck boards D and B so as to fit in this space. Also the distance between the inner faces of back plate 1 and end finger 7 is approximately equal to the thickness of stringer A as seen in FIG. 4.

A fiat rest plate 8 extends from an intermediate front section of and normal to said back plate 1 as well as normal to side portion 3 and side arm 4. Said rest plate is either formed integrally with or fastened by welding an edge thereof to back plate 1 and the bottom face thereof is positioned so that when said bottom face rests on deck board D, the bottom face of side arm 4 and flange 6 rests on or lies above the top of stringer A.

A tube 9 having bore 10 is mounted on the top of said rest plate and is fixedly connected thereto and to said back plate by welding so that said tube extends normal to said rest plate.

In use, the present corner post supports are attached to each corner of a pallet, that is at each end of stringers A.' Thus end portion 3 of the corner post support is inserted between deck boards D and G until side portion Q abuts the end B of stringer A and then finger 7 is inserted between deck boards D and E until rest plate 8 is mounted on deck board D.

Corner post supports are likewise mounted on a second pallet, but with each rest plate 8 mounted on a deck board G. Thereupon posts or pipes 11 are inserted in the bores 10 of opposing tubes 9 in the manner shown in FIG. 5 whereby all four corners of the two pallets are detachably joined and the uppermost pallet supported on, but spaced from the bottom pallet. Thereafter a fork lift truck for example can have the fork thereof inserted between the deck boards D and G of the lower pallet and the entire stack of pallets raised and moved as desired alone or with articles or the like on one or both said pallets.

Removing pipes 11 from tubes 9 permits the pallets to be separated and the corner post supports removed quickly and easily Without requiring tools.

It is to be appreciated that the corner post supports can be sized to fit pallets of various sizes as required. Also side portion 2 and end portion 3 can be of a smaller width than shown whereby two corner post supports can be mounted on each of the stringers A, one with the ferrule extended upward and the other with the ferrule extended downward, one above the other whereby one pallet serves as both a top and a bottom pallet.

The present device is capable of considerable modification and such changes thereto as come within the scope of the appended claims is deemed to be a part or" the invention.

I claim:

'1. A corner post support for stacking pallets comprising a back plate, a side portion extending normal to said back plate, an end portion of said side portion extending normal thereto and spaced from said back plate for receiving a pallet stringer therebetween, an arm extending normal to said back plate and spaced from said side portion, a finger connected to said arm and extending parallel to, but spaced from said back plate for receiving said pallet stringer therebetween and an upright tube fixedly connected to said back plate for receiving a post therein to support a second corner post support and pallet thereon.

2. A corner post support for stacking pallets having end stringers connected to spaced apart deck boards comprising a fiat back plate of approximately the width of one of the deck boards, a side portion of said back plate extending normal thereto, an end portion of said side portion extending parallel to said back plate, but spaced therefrom for receiving one end of a stringer therebetween, an arm extending normal to and from an opposite side of said back plate, a flange extending normal to and alongside of said arm, a finger extending from said flange parallel to said back plate, but spaced therefrom for receiving a stringer therebetween, a rest plate fixedly mounted on and extending normal to said back plate and a tube fixedly mounted on said rest plate for receiving a pallet supporting post therein.

3. A pallet with corner post supports comprising a pallet consisting of at least a pair of stringers and of a series of spaced apart deck boards connecting said stringers and a plurality of corner post supports each consisting of a back plate the width of one of said deck boards and abutting one of said stringers, a side connected to said back plate and extending laterally thereto abutting the end of said one of said stringers, an end portion of said side abutting said one of said stringers on a side thereof opposite said back plate, an arm extending laterally from said back plate and spaced from said side with said one of said deck board therebetween, a finger connected to said arm and spaced from said back plate with said one of said stringers therebetween, a rest plate fixedly connected to and extending laterally from said back plate and mounted on said one of said deck boards and a post holding tube fixedly mounted and extending upright on said rest plate.

4. A pallet stacking assembly comprising at least two pallets each consisting of an upper and lower deck provided by spaced apart deck boards and stringers connecting said deck boards, and a plurality of corner post supports each consisting of a back plate, a pair of side members extending laterally from said back plate, the end portion of one of said sides extending laterally thereof with an end of one of said stringers positioned between said end portion, said side and said back plate, a finger connected to the other of said side members with said one of said stringers positioned between said finger and said back plate, a tube fixedly connected to said back plate and posts each detachably inserted in opposing tubes of said corner front supports connected to said pallets supporting one pallet on, but spaced above the other of said two pallets.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,686,645 Whitehurst et al Aug. 17, 1954 2,924,339 Skubic Feb. 9, 1960 2,932,477 Franks Apr. 12, 1960 3,017,151 Townson Jan. 16, 1962 3,095,837 Skubic July 2, 1963 

1. A CORNER POST SUPPORT FOR STACKING PALLETS COMPRISING A BACK PLATE, A SIDE PORTION EXTENDING NORMAL TO SAID BACK PLATE, AN END PORTION OF SAID SIDE PORTION EXTENDING NORMAL THERETO AND SPACED FROM SAID BACK PLATE FOR RECEIVING A PALLET STRINGER THEREBETWEEN, AN ARM EXTENDING NORMAL TO SAID BACK PLATE AND SPACED FROM SAID SIDE PORTION, A FINGER CONNECTED TO SAID ARM AND EXTENDING PARALLEL TO, BUT SPACED FROM SAID BACK PLATE FOR RECEIVING SAID PALLET STRINGER THEREBETWEEN AND AN UPRIGHT TUBE FIXEDLY CONNECTED TO SAID BACK PLATE FOR RECEIVING A POST THEREIN TO SUPPORT A SECOND CORNER POST SUPPORT AND PALLET THEREON. 